The Shekel just posted an essay Yes, You Need A Light At Night Along With Your Defensive Firearm
For those who do not know anything about Mr Shekel, he has more tactical knowledge in the fingernail of his left pinkie than I have in my whole body.
Rather than repeat or quote what he wrote, I am going to make a few extensions on what he wrote.
"Why can't I just turn on the room's overhead light?"
That is an option but not a great option. If there is a goblin or two in your house, they probably heard you shuffle down the hall. They probably heard the "click" of the wall switch.
Since they are likely to be younger than you are and since your eyeballs and their eyeballs are receiving the same amount of light, their eyes are likely to adapt to the new light level more quickly than your eyes.
Recap: They have more precise information about your location before you flip on the light. They regain vision before you can regain yours. You lost any chance to get inside of their Observe-Orient-Decide-Act loop.
A weapon-mounted light should be focused enough to create a very large advantage in your favor with regard to O-O-D-A loops. A bright, focused light is difficult to look into and actually be able to see anything besides the light.
"But what about sentries, cigarettes and so on?"
Different horses. Different courses. The aggressor the sentry is concerned about probably has a weapon and tactical situation where the aggressor could kill the sentry from a distance of 50 or more yards away.
The defensive handgun in the house scenario outlined by Mr Shekel is a different tactical situation.
Training
I am going to agree with Mr Shekel about training but for a different reason. Mr Shekel suggested that anybody who is on-the-fence about the utility of a weapon-mounted light should take a class to understand "why" it is a very practical tool.
From my perspective, few people who own firearms practice enough for their weapon's function to be committed to muscle-memory. I am dubious about the addition of another set of controls to fumble with while under stress unless there has been an investment in training.
Same ending place. Different path.
My concern about a weapon mounted light is it is a target with you behind it. I think I'll stick with a light in my left hand held away from me.--ken
ReplyDeleteI used to be in your camp Ken... until I got some experience with both. The weapon mounted light is far superior. It shines where you aim. Is is directly in your opponents eyes. It IS shining where your weapon is pointed. It is very fast.
DeleteUnlike in the movies, you aren't shining it around continuously like your Eveready. It is on only when you are aiming at the target.
Hunters used to regularly used their scopes instead of binos. One less piece of equipment to buy and carry around.
DeleteEven when accidents don't happen, it makes your butt clench when you see a flash of reflected light and see a hunter pointing a rifle at you as he checks you out.
The Hunter Safety Classes have been absolutely brutal about telling kids this is NOT OK.
Intellectual arguments aside, weapon-mounted light feels like "scoping" the pucker-brush looking for something to shoot.
Agreed.
DeleteI don't disagree with the utility of a good light at night. I do have issues with weapon mounted lights for most people. To use it properly requires you point the weapon in the direction of the noise...which might be a bad guy or it might be your kid sneaking back into the house. In addition the adrenalin dump can cause confused brain signaling....leading to a trigger pull instead of light activation. Even "trained" cops have made this mistake. For most people I advocate holding a quality flashlight in the OFF hand and your pistol in the normal hand. That way you can keep the muzzle down while the light is pointed ahead.
ReplyDeleteI read once that the purpose of the strobe function on these new bright LED flashlights is for just this scenario the intruder is disoriented and unable to focus while the light holder not looking at the source of the light has enough ambient light to remain reasonably focused.
ReplyDeleteI'll take issue with this.
ReplyDeleteWeapon-mounted lights are one thing. Personal lights are another. You need both.
A personal light because drawing a weapon to illuminate something is not only bad form and generally rude, it can have immediate negative consequences. On both ends of the gun.
I am never without a 3-cell Elzetta in a belt holster (Elzettas are expensive, but Surefire no longer makes 3-cell R123A flashlights, and I can custom design my Elzetta with the specific features I want). Why a 3-cell? It's longer - I have large hands and it fits me better - and the 3-cell is brighter than the 2-cell and lasts longer between battery changes.
Mine has the very simple binary switch: on - off. Bright/Dark. When I need light I want the power of the June sun at high noon; I do not want a multi-position switch (lessee, that's press 3 times for bright, twice for strobe, no strobe is 4 times, twice is for dim, 3 times is full bright, and 5 times is for pizza....).
I also carry a shirt pocket Streamlight Stylus (2 AAA batts, 100 lumen) because I do not need 1000 lumens to find a pen that rolled under the desk (Streamlight makes a more compact rechargeable 250 lumen version, tried it, it's a very nice light, and went back to the 2-AAA version because it's cheaper, I can carry spare AAAs and 100 lumens is plenty for most casual tasks. YMMV).
I frequently - but not always - have a projectile dispenser with a weapon-mounted light. The ARs each have a 500 or 1000 lumen weapon-mounted light; the "evening at home" semi-auto has a 500 lumen weapon-mounted light, my everyday carry my sidearm does not. Why not? Because I trained to the Harries Technique and habit (the simple name for "muscle memory") with that technique works. Again, YMMV. (That I am never without a suitable light affects my decision as well; if I'm wearing pants I'm wearing a tube of dark repellant. And a gun. I don't wear either in the shower or in bed. YMMV.)
I do not routinely employ an expeller with a weapon-mounted light because such a light is for the final identification of a potential target immediately prior to deciding whether or not to discharge the firearm at it. By that point I already know there's a target potentially deserving of lethal attention and where it is and all I need at that point is confirmation or denial. Which is most easily accomplished with a weapon-mounted light but also just as easily accomplshed with a personal light using the Harries Technique.
I've seen way too many instances of using a weapon-mounted light as a general illumination device to suggest one as the only light source one has, or even as a "backup" because it's much easier to "draw and illuminate, just in case I need my gun" than "illuminate with a personal light and then employ the gun." And, the brain defaults to whatever has been practiced most, which includes "draw and engage with fire" even in circumstances when it is not warranted.
That, and proper trigger discipline is very much not universally practiced.
Again, YMMV, but if you come to my house, or my car, whatever your gun may be equipped with, you need to have a suitable personal light attached to your body and know how to use it. I do not want to have to answer all the questions that will arise if Theresa Teenager develops extra holes because you "drew to illuminate" and stumbled over something.
We shot several night IDPA matches with the categories being handheld flashlight, weapons mounted light and weapons mounted with laser and light. All the strings were short, 2-5 targets per stage. Movement was limited for safety reasons. At least 2 matches the high overall shooter was a handheld flashlight, the rest were won by weapons mounted lights. The difference was the speed in which a weapons mounted light could be reloaded versus stashing the flashlight, doing a reload, then regaining control and focus of the flashlight. Typically it was the best attended match of the year with 30-40 shooters. FYI we did the walk thru in the daylight.
ReplyDelete